What is this? Nonpharmaceutical measures, such as personal protective equipment are used to limit the transmission of respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19 and influenza, in non-healthcare settings as well as in healthcare settings.

In this systematic review, the authors searched for studies of the effects of non-pharmaceutical measures for reducing influenza transmission in community settings. They did not restrict their searches by language of publication and did the search in August 2018. They included studies on hand hygiene (7 randomized trials), face masks (7 randomized trials) or both (6 randomized trials), and surface/object cleaning (2 randomized trials and one observational study).

What was found: The studies included in this review did not provide evidence of a major effect of hand hygiene measures on laboratory-confirmed influenza transmission.

The studies included in this review did not provide evidence that surgical-type face masks are effective in reducing laboratory-confirmed influenza transmission, either when worn by infected persons or by persons in the general community.

The studies included in this review did not provide evidence that surface or object cleaning affects influenza rates.

There were no identified studies of respiratory etiquette interventions, so it is uncertain if this reduces the risk of influenza transmission.

Disclaimer: This summary has been written by staff and volunteers of Evidence Aid in order to make the content of the original document accessible to decision makers who are searching for the available evidence on the coronavirus (COVID-19) but may not have the time, initially, to read the original report in full. This summary is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians, other health workers, professional associations, guideline developers, or national governments and international agencies. If readers of this summary think that the evidence that is presented within it is relevant to their decision-making they should refer to the content and details of the original article, and the advice and guidelines offered by other sources of expertise, before making decisions. Evidence Aid cannot be held responsible for any decisions made about the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the basis of this summary alone.

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